The Umsinde Emoyeni Wind Power Station (UEWPS) is a 140 megawatt (MW) onshore wind power plant under construction in South Africa. The facility is located near the town of Murraysburg, in the Beaufort West Local Municipality within the Central Karoo District of the Western Cape Province, close to the border with the Northern Cape Province.
Overview
The power station is being developed by a consortium comprising African Clean Energy Developments (ACED) and Energy Infrastructure Management Services (EIMS Africa), both subsidiaries of African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), an asset manager headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa. Reatile Renewables Pty Limited is also a shareholder in the project.
Power Generation and Offtake
The wind farm is designed to have a generation capacity of 140 MW. The electricity generated is intended for sale to Sibanye-Stillwater, a South African mining conglomerate, to support its gold, platinum-group elements, and related metals mining operations. Power will be transmitted from the wind farm to the off-taker via Eskom, the national electricity utility, under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and a long-term wheeling agreement.
Construction and Timeline
Construction began in June 2024, with commercial commissioning expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. In 2024, Vestas received a 144 MW order for the project, which includes the supply and installation of 32 V163-4.5 MW wind turbines, along with a 10-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement.
Funding
The project is funded by African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM), with financial support from Old Mutual Alternative Investments' IDEAS Fund and a syndicated loan arranged by Rand Merchant Bank.
Significance
With the attainment of financial closure for the Umsinde Emoyeni Wind Farm, Sibanye-Stillwater secured 407 MW of renewable energy for its exclusive use across its portfolio of projects, supporting the company's decarbonization efforts.
